About 4 years ago, I left a job I really loved, to take the same job at a much larger location. My salary (which wasn't bad at the first job) doubled overnight. Everything for us seemed to have taken a big step we'd hoped and prayed for for a long time. We ignored some initial red flags during the hiring process, but just felt like the financial opportunity was too good to pass up for a few little issues. Well, ultimately those issues grew VERY big over my first few months at the new job. Within 8 months I was miserable, and began to dread doing the work I'd loved for over 10 years. After a series of meetings with my "higher ups", the situation got so bad, that I walked in one day and quit. No back up plan, no job waiting in the wings. I just couldn't do it anymore.
Since we'd moved out of state for this new job, we decided to move back home to Central TX, where we'd lived for years. We had a little money stashed away that kept us afloat for a bit, but life happened, and things got tighter and tighter. Some of you may remember this time, as I ended up having to sell 80% of my "toys" here on TBH to keep the lights on and food on the table for my family (thank God for deer meat!). The Mods here were gracious enough to allow me some grace as I liquidated things just to make ends meet. Some of you guys became great friends to me during this time, offering both encouragement, as well as buying things I sold even when you didn't need them just to help us out. I truly had to swallow my pride and ask for help more times than I can count.
By the time we'd been back about a year, we were broke. Didn't even have enough money to pay the next months rent. In a matter of a year, we'd gone from making more money than we needed, to being more discouraged financially than ever. I'd been trying to find a good job, but was having a hard time getting one that covered everything. My wife had gone back to work for the first time in years, and life just seemed to keep punching us in the gut. Just when we reached the end of our rope, God blessed us with a great opportunity to step into the job I currently have. I wasn't excited about it at the time, but it was a great opportunity to step into a more financially stable position, and gave us a chance to get our head back above water. It also gave me a chance to go back to college, and finish out my undergraduate degree (I'd dropped out a year or so shy of graduating when I started traveling and doing music).
After 2.5 years at my current job, things have totally turned around. I graduated college without adding anymore student loans than I already had, and in addition, we've been able to get totally out of debt other than my old school loans. We've got a family of 4 crammed into a 900 sq ft. apartment (my 8 y.o. daughter and 6 y.o. son share a room - so we have LOTS of conversations about "ding-dings", farting, and modesty
), but we're thankful every day that God blessed us with this time of feeling restored and set free from the heaviness of financial struggle.
Life can get really tough, and days can get really dark, but it's worth it to keep pressing on. I've made a lot of great friends along the way, and I've seen things come together in a way that assures me that God has a bigger plan than I do. To all of you guys who helped us in one way or another - THANK YOU.
Whatever you guys have going on, know that things will get better. Don't be too proud to ask for a hand when you need it, and don't forget that God has a plan for you even when you can't see it. Keeping on is the only way you'll see better days.
Since we'd moved out of state for this new job, we decided to move back home to Central TX, where we'd lived for years. We had a little money stashed away that kept us afloat for a bit, but life happened, and things got tighter and tighter. Some of you may remember this time, as I ended up having to sell 80% of my "toys" here on TBH to keep the lights on and food on the table for my family (thank God for deer meat!). The Mods here were gracious enough to allow me some grace as I liquidated things just to make ends meet. Some of you guys became great friends to me during this time, offering both encouragement, as well as buying things I sold even when you didn't need them just to help us out. I truly had to swallow my pride and ask for help more times than I can count.
By the time we'd been back about a year, we were broke. Didn't even have enough money to pay the next months rent. In a matter of a year, we'd gone from making more money than we needed, to being more discouraged financially than ever. I'd been trying to find a good job, but was having a hard time getting one that covered everything. My wife had gone back to work for the first time in years, and life just seemed to keep punching us in the gut. Just when we reached the end of our rope, God blessed us with a great opportunity to step into the job I currently have. I wasn't excited about it at the time, but it was a great opportunity to step into a more financially stable position, and gave us a chance to get our head back above water. It also gave me a chance to go back to college, and finish out my undergraduate degree (I'd dropped out a year or so shy of graduating when I started traveling and doing music).
After 2.5 years at my current job, things have totally turned around. I graduated college without adding anymore student loans than I already had, and in addition, we've been able to get totally out of debt other than my old school loans. We've got a family of 4 crammed into a 900 sq ft. apartment (my 8 y.o. daughter and 6 y.o. son share a room - so we have LOTS of conversations about "ding-dings", farting, and modesty
), but we're thankful every day that God blessed us with this time of feeling restored and set free from the heaviness of financial struggle. Life can get really tough, and days can get really dark, but it's worth it to keep pressing on. I've made a lot of great friends along the way, and I've seen things come together in a way that assures me that God has a bigger plan than I do. To all of you guys who helped us in one way or another - THANK YOU.
Whatever you guys have going on, know that things will get better. Don't be too proud to ask for a hand when you need it, and don't forget that God has a plan for you even when you can't see it. Keeping on is the only way you'll see better days.
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